Best Pizza (Thin Crust)

Master Pieza

Frequenters of Cherokee Street during its resurgence over the past several years will likely recognize William Porter, the smiling, bespectacled neighborhood pizza guy with his trademark spiky, spindly updo. Porter's pies are truly one-of-a-kind — a blend of St. Louis, New York and authentic Italian styles. He and his pizza made appearances up and down the street at local businesses, and last April he finally got a storefront of his own and opened Master Pieza for lunch, dinner and late-night service. Those stopping in to try it for the first time are in for a nice surprise — even pizza by the slice is made to order. Lean dough gets topped with Porter's sweet tomato sauce, a choice of veggies or meat, and Provel, mozzarella or a blend of both. In just around five minutes, the edges of the oblong slice crisp up in the deck oven, providing a perfect, golden-brown platform for the molten marriage of sauce and cheese. Does that qualify as a masterpiece? Yes, indeed.